Improvement in button-holes for shoes



W. P. HILL. Button-Hole for Shoes.

N. 215,745. Patented May 27,1879.

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N.PETERS, FHO"0-L!THOG=2APHER, WASHINGTON, o C.

ILI'ImI'Ijy (3i-triton WILLIAM F. HILL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-HOLES FOR SHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,745, dated May 27, 1879 application filed April 1, 1879.

To all 'whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. HILL, of Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Holes for Shoes; and 1 hereby declare the same to be fully, clearly, and exactly described as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view ot' a portion of a shoeupper, showing the button-holes; Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional view of the saine on the line a: m, Fig. 1.

My invention is designed to obviate what has heretofore been a fruitful source of annoyance to dealers in, as well as wearers ot', but toned shoes or gaiters, and to furnish a button-hole which it is`-practically impossible to tear out.

Heretofore the great strain which has been brought upon the end ot' the button-hole, in using the ordinary button-hook, sooner or later resulted in a tear in the upper, which was increased in length at each subsequent buttoning, and finally resulted in many instances in tearing the button-hole to the edge ofthe upper.

I obviate this by constructing the buttonholes as hereinafter described.

In the accompanyingdrawings, A is the upper, formed, as usual, of one of the kinds ot' leather known as brush kid, pebbled goat,7 straight grain, or morocco, and having the button-holes a (t punched therein.

Between the upper and the lining is inserted a piece, b, ot' some tough, strong, and pliable leather, such as glove-calf or equivalent material, which may either be inserted in -the form ot' a small patch surrounding the button-hole, or a continuous strip covering the entire row of holes.

Underneath the piece or pieces bis the usual sheepskin lining B, which is stitched to the upper at its edge c. A line of stitching, d, is run around the edge of each button-hole, securely uniting the upper, the lining, and the button-hole piece b.

Finally a hole, C, is punched through the lining and button-hole piece b, and the same are slitted at c centrally in the button-hole.

It will thus be seen that the button-shank or button-hook is prevented from coming in contact at all with the upper A, which is thereby relieved of all local strain.

The piece or pieces I), being made of tough, strong stuil", will not tear, while still being sof't and pliable, and readily admitting of the slit being spread as the button enters it from below.

Aside from these advantages another one attends the described construction. As the upper-leathcris somewhat tough and harsh, it has been customary herctotme, and, indeed, necessary, to make the button-holes somewhat open, so as to admit ol' theentrance of the button, and this necessitated the widening ofthe upper beyond the row of buttons to prevent the stocking from being visible through the button-holes.

W ith my invention this is not necessary. The piece I) is sot't and pliable enough to allow the button to pass readily through the slit c, which completely closes behind it.

What I claim is- 1. A button-hole re-enforced by a tough inelastic material, extending beyond theedgcs of' the button-hole and secured to the fabric in which the button-hole is made, and adapted to relieve the latter ol' strain, as set forth.

2. A button-hole re-enibrccd by atough inelastic material, extending beyond its :edges and secured between two thicknesses of material in which the button-hole is formed, substantially as described.

. The button-hole herein. described,haviug` a tough inelastic re-enforce, b, interposed be; tween the layers A and ll, and secured' by a line ot' stitching, d, as set forth.

4. The method herein described of forming buttoitholes in shoes, consisting in interposing a layer ot tough inelastic material between the upper and lining, uniting all three by a line of stitching, and finally punching and slitting the said material, substantially as set forth. WILLIAM F. HILL.

lVitnesses R. D. WILLIAMS, JNO. T. MAnDoX. 

